Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that the phenomenon of terrorism and Daesh terrorist group in particular is the main problem of Syria no matter who runs the Arab country.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Thursday, President Rouhani pointed to almost five years of war in Syria and said terrorism is the main problem of the country.

“The problem today in Syria is not this or that individual, but terrorism, Daesh (also known as ISIL), and those who are buying oil from the terrorist group, selling it weapons and supporting it politically,” he said.

The Iranian president went on to say that the people who support terrorism in Syria should be aware that they are “trampling over human rights”.

Hollande, for his part, warned against the spread of terrorism, saying that the phenomenon is the enemy of all nations.

He added that France believes that cooperation between Tehran and Paris can be very beneficial to world peace and the fight against terrorism.

Rouhani’s visit to France, which is first by an Iranian president since 1999, came as global diplomats are trying to arrange the first peace talks in two years to end the Syrian civil war.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from various groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.

According to the United Nations, more than 250,000 people have been killed and one million wounded during the conflict.

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.

Earlier in June 2015, Rouhani had hailed the resistance of the Syrian government and people against foreign-backed terrorist groups in the Arab country, saying that Tehran is determined to side with Damascus to the end of the crisis.